Article carriers, commonly referred to as luggage racks, have long been utilized to carry loads on the exterior of automotive vehicles. The designs of these carriers have advanced from the purely functional rectangular configuration to the more aerodynamic and adjustable configurations.
Adjustable carriers were developed to permit the user to adjust the carriers to the size of the load and provide additional securement. Typically in such assemblies, crossbar members are attached to end supports that are mounted on tracks longitudinally secured to the vehicle. End supports are allowed to travel longitudinally along the tracks varying the space between the crossbar members in accordance with the desired load size. Locking assemblies are provided to secure the end supports in the desired position along the tracks. With such a system, varying load sizes can be accommodated in a more secure fashion.
However, the adjustable carrier systems of the past are not without shortcomings. For example, one of the disadvantages of these systems is that the tracks to which the end supports are mounted are rolled form steel. Although roll-form tracks are an effective means to accommodate the varying cross-car and longitudinal radii of different vehicle roof line designs, roll-forming results in a high-profile carrier. High-profile article carriers tend to reduce the aerodynamics and aesthetic value of the vehicle design. Moreover, the roll-forming of tracks to accommodate the wide variety of car designs has proven to be expensive and inefficient.
Furthermore, the locking assemblies employed in these adjustable article carriers have been found to be unsatisfactory. Various locking assemblies have been utilized from nuts and bolts systems to lever and locking pin systems. However, these assemblies tend to be inconvenient to use, to induce unacceptable drag as the vehicle travels, or to ineffectively lock the end supports in place. Therefore, it would be desirable to have an adjustable article carrier with a low profile for greater aerodynamics and aesthetics, that is capable of compensating for the cross-line radius or fall-away slope of the vehicle roof, that is less expensive to produce and stock, that is convenient for the user to use, and that will easily and effectively lock the end supports in place while the vehicle is in motion.